Assistant Professor
Office: Biomed 1, B323D
Lab: Biomed 1, B320
Phone: 501-686-5810
Email: afouda@uams.edu
LinkedIn profile
Education and Training
- B.Pharm – Cairo University School of Pharmacy, Egypt (2002 – 2007)
- Teaching/research assistant – Cairo University, Clinical Pharmacy Dept., Egypt (2007 – 2011)
- Ph.D. – University of Georgia, Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics program (2011 – 2015)
- Post-doctoral training – University of Georgia, Dr. Susan Fagan Stroke lab (2015 – 2016)
- Post-doctoral training – Augusta University, Dr. Ruth Caldwell Retinopathy lab (2016 – 2021)
Research Interests
Our lab studies central nervous system (CNS) injury mainly in the retina and brain. The lab employs different molecular/cell culture techniques, human tissue samples, and animal studies to model critical disease conditions in these two organs. Among the diseases under study are diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, traumatic optic neuropathy, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. Our studies aim to elucidate the underlying pathological mechanisms in these conditions and identify new therapies that can be translated from bench to bedside to help patients affected by these disease conditions.
We are interested in studying immune cells in CNS diseases with a special focus on the role played by myeloid cells (macrophages and microglia) as they respond to acute and chronic injury to the retina and brain. These cells closely interact with CNS neurons and vasculature and therefore play a major role in neurovascular injury and repair. Our goal is to gear the myeloid cells toward a reparative phenotype through modulation of different molecular pathways. The lab is funded by the National Eye Institute.
Meet Dr. Fouda’s Research Team
Research Support
Ongoing
- (1/2022 – 12/2022) UAMS Hornick award for stroke research
- (07/2021 – 06/2024) R00 EY029373 NIH/NEI
Role: PI Title: Role of Arginase 1 in Retinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury - 07/2021 – UAMS COM Startup funds
Role: PI
Completed
- K99 EY029373-01A1 NIH/NEI (09/2019 – 06/2021)
Role: PI Title: Role of Arginase 1 in Retinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury - 18POST34060036 AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship (07/01/2018 – 06/31/2020)
Role: PI Title: Arginase in retinal injury - University-Wide Graduate School Assistantship, UGA 8/2011 – 5/2013
Select Publications
- Fouda AY#, Xu Z, Narayanan SP, Caldwell RW, Caldwell RB#, Utility of LysM-cre and Cdh5-cre driver mice in retinal and brain research: An imaging study using tdTomato reporter mouse. IOVS 2020 Mar 9;61(3):51. (#AYF & RBC share correspondence).
- Fouda AY#, Eldahshan W, Narayanan SP, Caldwell RW, Caldwell RB#. Arginase pathway in acute retina and brain injury: Therapeutic opportunities and unexplored avenues. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2020;11:277. (#AYF & RBC share correspondence).
- Atawia RT*, Bunch KL*, Fouda AY*, Lemtalsi T, Eldahshan W, Xu Z, Saul A, Elmasry K, Al-Shabrawey M, Caldwell RB, Caldwell RW, Role of Arginase 2 in Murine Retinopathy Associated With Western Diet-Induced Obesity. Journal of Clinical Medicine 9 (2), 2020 Jan 22 (*equal contribution).
- Palani CD*, Fouda AY*, Liu F*, Xu Z, Mohamed E, Giri S, Smith SB, Caldwell RB, Narayanan SP. Deletion of Arginase 2 Ameliorates Retinal Neurodegeneration in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis. Molecular Neurobiology 2019 Jul 6. (*equal contribution).
- Fouda AY, Fagan SC, and Ergul A. Brain Vasculature and Cognition: Renin-Angiotensin System, Endothelin, and Beyond. Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2019 Feb 28:ATVBAHA118311906.
- Xu Z*, Fouda AY*, Lemtalsi T, Shosha E, Patel C, Caldwell RW, Narayanan SP, and Caldwell RB. Retinal neuroprotection from optic nerve trauma by deletion of arginase 2. Frontiers in Neuroscience 2018, Dec 20;12:970. (*equal contribution).
- Fouda AY, Xu Z, Shosha E, Lemtalsi T, Chen J, Toque H, Tritz R, Cui X, Stansfield B, Huo Y, Rodriguez PC, Smith SB, Caldwell RW, Narayanan SP, and Caldwell RB. Arginase 1 promotes retinal neurovascular protection from ischemia through suppression of macrophage inflammatory responses. Cell Death & Disease 2018 Sep 25;9(10):1001.
- Fouda AY, Switzer JA. Response by Fouda and Switzer to Letter Regarding Article, Minocycline in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage: An Early Phase Randomized Trial. Stroke 2017 Nov 117.019625.
- Fouda AY*, Newsome AS*, Switzer J, Ergul A, Edwards DJ, Hess DC, Wenbo Zhi, Waller J, Spellicy S, and Fagan SC. Minocycline in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage: An Early Phase Randomized Trial. Stroke 2017 Oct;48(10):2885-2887. (Clinical trial)
- Fouda AY, Pillai B, Dhandapani K, Ergul A, Fagan SC. Role of interleukin-10 in the neuroprotective effect of the Angiotensin Type 2 Receptor agonist, compound 21, after ischemia/reperfusion injury. European Journal of Pharmacology 2017 Mar 15;799:128-134.
- Fouda AY*, Alhusban A* (*equal contribution), Ishrat T, Pillai B, Eldahshan W, Waller JL, Ergul A, Fagan SC.Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Knockdown Blocks the Angiogenic and Protective Effects of Angiotensin Modulation After Experimental Stroke. Molecular Neurobiology 2017 Jan;54(1):661-670.
- Fouda AY, Artham S, El-Remessy A and Fagan SC. Renin angiotensin system as a potential therapeutic target in stroke and retinopathy: Experimental and clinical evidence. Clinical Science 2016 Feb;130(4):221-38.
- Alhusban A*, Fouda AY* (*equal contribution), Pillai B, Ishrat T, Soliman S, and Fagan SC. Compound 21 is proangiogenic in the brain and results in sustained recovery after ischemic stroke. Journal of Hypertension 2015 Jan;33(1):170-80.
- Fouda AY, Kozak A, Alhusban A, Switzer J, Fagan S. Anti-inflammatory IL-10 is upregulated in both hemispheres after experimental ischemic stroke: Hypertension blunts the response. Experimental and Translational Stroke Medicine 2013 Nov 13;5(1):12.